One of the most powerful elements in the world is water.  It can be calm, soft and soothing, but consider the powerful strength behind a tsunami or 20 foot wave, hurricanes, pressurized water can cut metal and over time it erodes anything in its path.  In life we encounter obstacles and challenges that stand in our way.  The numerous challenges cannot be controlled and not only are challenges uncontrollable, daily life events are also uncontrollable even if you try to control it as much as possible. 

Think of an obstacle in life like a rock standing in your path.  If you try to push it away, you exert energy and might not budge the rock.  If you try to ignore it, it is still there waiting to stand in your way.  If you observe water in a stream, as it approaches a rock, it simply goes through it, around it and gets past it.  In time that rock will be eroded into dust and carried away.  The one thing you can control is how you handle events that come into your life.  Control your mind and thoughts by channeling the flow of events with fluidity.  In Taoism, it is believed that you are stronger by having a softness that allows you to bend and adapt.  Lets say you did not hired or promoted for a position you wanted.  You can either allow your emotions to take over, feel anger or let negative thoughts rule your mind,  instead of moving past it and learning from the experience, prepare for another opportunity.  In life we cannot always control what happens, but we can control our thoughts.  [Read more...]